This is a story of urban transformation in a Toronto community-housing setting through the lens, both literally and figuratively, of residents and the community.
Core to the story is the ‘I’m Lawrence’ program, which will recruit participants from the Lawrence Heights community and prepare them for entry into the construction workforce. As the neighborhood transforms through scheduled revitalization, so do participants in the program.
The goal is to literally, “tear down the walls” of misconception by creating a vibrant mixed income community and document it that introduces the characters and their stories, and then follows them throughout the community’s re-development in subsequent episodes.
Restricted by race and somewhat segregated into their own community, we watch as the participants gain skills, confidence and experience, ultimately ending up in apprenticeships, careers and potential middle class lives.
Limitless Heights documents this social experiment as it take place. It promises to engage a national audience in a conversation about urban renewal by following the challenges and opportunities of bringing change to an established neighbourhood.
The series blends the engagement of a reality-based renovation show with a documentary-style “hoop dreams” narrative arc to convey the emotion, conflicts and ultimate transformation of key characters as their community experiences a massive makeover.